You callin' CJ a b****?!

[mazeroth]

One of my favorite games of all-time is getting sued. I pray this guy doesn't get a dime:

http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/254-cypress-hill-singer-sues-rockstar-over-grand-theft-auto?nc



No cursing in thread titles.

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[zinfamous]

interesting. I'd like to see how this flies if he has enough documentation to back up his claims.

 

[waggy]

interesting. I'd like to see how this flies if he has enough documentation to back up his claims.

exactly. if they did that then they deserve to lose.

 

[BladeVenom]

According to the complaint, Washington "responded to their questions and related details of his life," which included "how the teen-agers in his gang rode around on bicycles." (Bikes are prominently featured in the game.)

Teenagers using bicycles. Wow, that's a really unique story.

 

[Lorne]

THey need to throw it out, Unless they used his name directly you cannot just sue for a likeness being used, No matter how you draw anime/cartooned chrs in a movie or game there is always going to be a simularity to somone somewhere.

 

[ViviTheMage]

THey need to throw it out, Unless they used his name directly you cannot just sue for a likeness being used, No matter how you draw anime/cartooned chrs in a movie or game there is always going to be a simularity to somone somewhere.

This is what I thought ... be curious to see what the courts think.

 

[Raider1284]

"But they have gangsters riding around on bicycles in GTA! No one else in the entire world did this except for me and my crew. These guys are aholes for stealing my life's story!!"

 

[Childs]

"But they have gangsters riding around on bicycles in GTA! No one else in the entire world did this except for me and my crew. These guys are aholes for stealing my life's story!!"

He did actually have a 2 hour meeting with Rockstar discussing his life. The courts can figure it out.

 

[BoberFett]

Wow. Two whole hours. I'm sure that IS worth $250M.

 

[coldmeat]

You only ever had to ride a bike once. Maybe twice? And it wasn't how your gang got around, it was just a last resort.

 

[Childs]

Wow. Two whole hours. I'm sure that IS worth $250M.

Who knows, but if they based the CJ character on those two hours it should be worth something. I'm sure they based it on someone, as I doubt the writers and designers were from East LA, Crenshaw and South Central. It'll probably come out that they did many such interviews and its a composite character, or based on the ghetto movies of the 90s (Boyz in the Hood, Menace II Society, rap videos, etc). The guy told them his life story, and in his mind they turned around and made a game based on it and made a boat load of money. Thats why you go to court.

 

[paperfist]

He did actually have a 2 hour meeting with Rockstar discussing his life. The courts can figure it out.

Why didn't he and Axel get this stuff in writing? I mean if you're going to sit down with a company that is making a game about gangsters who interviews you for 2 hours about gangsters wouldn't you want to know their intent...on paper?

 

[Childs]

Why didn't he and Axel get this stuff in writing? I mean if you're going to sit down with a company that is making a game about gangsters who interviews you for 2 hours about gangsters wouldn't you want to know their intent...on paper?

I would think the guy would have had some understanding about what the meeting was for, and whether or not he was to be compensated for it. Maybe he signed a release and didnt realize it, or maybe he was paid like a consulting fee. Its hard to imagine he casually meet with Rockstar and told his life story. I was just saying if there was some truth to his story then there might be some merit in the case.